Whether you consider yourself a wine connoisseur or someone who is just learning about the wonderful world of wines, the Sheldon Museum has planned an event sure to appeal to all tastes.  Sheldon Uncorked is an evening of wine, hors d’oeuvres and historic curiosities offering attendees chances to win fine bottles of wine. The bottles range from bold Cabernets and buttery Chardonnays to refreshing Pinot Grigios and many others in between. The event will take place at the Museum, 1 Park Street in Middlebury, on Sunday, Sept. 10 from 5-7 p.m.
“This is a really fun idea for a fundraiser,” said Patti Marrinan, one of the organizers of the event. “People get to mingle with appetizers and wine and take a chance on winning a really fine bottle to take home.”
The trustees of the Sheldon Museum are donating most of the bottles for the event. An example of one of the fine wines offered as a prize that evening is a wonderful bottle of VIU “1” Miguel 2003, from the Chilean winery, owned by the Viu family, founded in 1935.  This fine wine is a Malbec known as “diverse, rich and perfect for savoring slowly.”
All bottles are worth at least $25 or more with some bottles valued over $70.  Entrance tickets are $50 a person. Once at the event, numbered corks are for sale for $25 each or five for $100, and the number on the cork will correspond to a number on a bottle that would then go to the cork holder. There will be over 100 bottles available to win.
Not only is this an evening of wine, it is an evening of curiosities and oddities taken from the rarely seen corners of the Sheldon’s collection — only to be seen Sunday night.
“We’ve had a request to show a few of Henry Sheldon’s original teeth as well as the celebrated stuffed cat ‘Slippers,’ an adult cradle and a Walrus skull,” said Beth Stanway, chair of Sheldon Uncorked Committee. These and other unusual objects related to Addison County’s history will be on view for the amusement of the guests. Also on view during the evening are the Sheldon’s two current exhibits, Draw Me a Story – Tell Me a Tale and Everlasting Ephemera.
This is a great opportunity to build your new wine cellar or replenish your current one, see some strange stuff and help raise funds for the local museum. Proceeds will support the Sheldon Museum’s Vermont history education programs, its research archives of more than 100,000 documents, photographs, and news articles, all of importance to the town, county, and region, as well as maintenance of the Museum’s historic downtown Middlebury buildings, ?gardens, and collection of furniture, household items, folk and fine art.  
Tickets are available at the Sheldon Museum, (802) 388-2117, or online at HenrySheldonMuseum.org.